Deputy Directors
Deeksha Goel
Deeksha is a strategy, policy, and global-engagement professional with a decade of experience spanning management consulting, geopolitical research, and institution-building. Deeksha is currently the Deputy Director of India Foundation, a leading think tank based in New Delhi. Previously, Deeksha has served as the Provost of School of Global Leadership built in partnership with international academic institutions across three continents. At India Foundation, Deeksha has been studying geopolitical developments in the Indian Ocean Region. She is also a published author on issues of contemporary importance and has co-edited a book on UNCLOS. Deeksha is an Engineer by training with an MBA in Finance and a postgraduate qualification in Corporate Strategic Management from IIM Nagpur. Deeksha is also an alumnus of IVLP USA (2022) and a Salzburg Global Fellow (2024).
Shristi Pukhrem
Dr. Shristi Pukhrem is currently a Deputy Director at India Foundation. She holds a Doctorate from the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Dr. Pukhrem’s research areas cover India-ASEAN relations, India’s bilateral relations with South-East Asian countries, and the Act East Policy with a broader focus on the Indo-Pacific region. She previously served as Dean, School of Global Leadership. Earlier she served as a Researcher with the Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis (IDSA), New Delhi and was a Junior Research Fellow in Political Science awarded by the University Grants Commission, Government of India. Dr. Pukhrem was a Visiting Scholar at the ASEAN Studies Centre, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok in 2016. In 2019, she was selected as a Fellow for the Trilateral Canberra Fellowship in Australia. Dr. Pukhrem was also selected as a 2022 US Department of State International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) QUAD Fellow and in 2024, served as a Non-Resident Fellow at the Indian Studies Centre, Ubon Ratchathani University, Thailand. She was a delegate for the Third Indo-Pacific Thinkers’ Programme, organised by the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCD) and the British High Commission in 2025.